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Curriculum Overview
The Freshman Year Students choose to begin Global Liberal Studies in New York, or at NYU in Florence, London, or Paris.* During the freshman year, students examine the world’s major cultural traditions and the ways in which they are connected through eight core courses: Writing I and II; Cultural Foundations I and II; Social Foundations I and II; Global Cultures and a laboratory science course. Students participate in small, in-class discussions that encourage them to think in new and different ways. Students advance their communication and writing skills, which are emphasized in all courses.
*GLS’s programs abroad fit in seamlessly with the academic program at Washington Square so that course requirements are met on time for graduation in four years.
GLS Freshman Year in Florence
GLS Freshmen may choose to spend a year living and studying at La Pietra, NYU’s breathtaking 57-acre estate in Florence, Italy. Sir Harold Acton, a patron of the arts, bequeathed the amazing property that overlooks the city from a hillside to the University in 1994. On the grounds are five villas, containing residences for students and faculty, classrooms, computer labs, study lounges, and dining and exercise facilities. Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, is a unique place in which to begin a humanistic education, and the experience of living and learning in Italy is an exciting way to start an undergraduate degree program. La Pietra is the home of a major international student community. Students from all over the world and from NYU’s campus in New York are engaged in learning at all levels. The academic program in Florence includes visits to many important museums and historic sites in the region.
GLS Freshman Year at NYU in London
As a world capital of banking, insurance, commerce, design, and theatre, London is a cosmopolitan city, home to institutions of global importance, including the London Stock Exchange, the Tate Modern, and the British Museum. GLS Freshmen who select the London program have the opportunity to begin their liberal arts education while exploring the city’s centuries-old historic landmarks and its contemporary wonders.
GLS Freshman Year at NYU in Paris
Incoming freshmen to the Global Liberal Studies Program have the opportunity to study at NYU in Paris. Known as the City of Light, Paris is one of the most captivating cities in Europe. The Eiffel Tower, the symbol of the city, dominates the skyline. On the north bank of the Seine, the Right Bank (Rive Droite) is home to monumental buildings, grand boulevards, and major museums, including the Louvre, Beaubourg, and the Centre Georges Pompidou. The Left Bank (Rive Gauche) evokes a Bohemian and intellectual atmosphere with its artist communities, cafés, restaurants, jazz clubs, and hip boutiques.
The Sophomore YearIn the sophomore year, students pursue the study of world culture. In Cultural and Social Foundations III, students continue their foundation courses and advance to Twentieth Century great works. In their sophomore seminars, students learn sophisticated methods of cultural analysis and explore issues facing a particular sector of the globe. The seminars are discussion-based, writing intensive, and interdisciplinary, and require the completion of a significant research project. In addition to the seminars, sophomores also take a second science course, advisor-approved elective, an intensive language course in preparation for the junior year of international study, and a Quantitative Reasoning course.
The Junior YearThe junior year of international study is a unique feature of the Global Liberal Studies B.A. In the first three semesters, students acquire a broad understanding of the interconnections between world cultures. In their fourth semester, students begin to explore in depth the cultural context and language of the site at which they will study as juniors. The sites available in a given year are carefully selected to coordinate with every aspect of a student’s four-year course of study. Students don't just study at an international site -- the site itself becomes an important subject of study. Experiential learning, special topics, and language courses immerse students in the history and contemporary culture of the site. Upon return, students join a senior colloquium keyed to their international experience while they use advanced research techniques to complete a senior thesis that grows out of the junior-year experience.
The junior year experience is integrated closely into students’ academic careers. At their global sites, students take courses each semester in Advanced Global Cultures (which provides students with a closer geographical focus on the country in which they reside and which is supplemented by cocurricular programming, including museum trips, architectural tours, and lectures by local artists and scholars), a service learning sequence (engaging in appropriate community-based projects designed by staff and faculty and combining guided research in an appropriate field of study with supervised practical work), a foreign language course, and electives geared toward the particular academic emphases and geographic advantages of the site. Students thus attain a thorough working knowledge of the historical and contemporary culture and society of the site at which they study.
The Senior Year The senior year provides students with both appropriate course work and opportunities for guided independent research and writing as part of the thesis project. The senior year consists of four major elements: the Senior Thesis; Senior Colloquia that emphasize great works related to the thesis topic; Capstone Seminars that use a selection of great works drawn from both traditional and modern global canons to provide a coherent overview of the four years of the program; and Electives specially chosen to complement each student’s individual program and career goals. Students will also have the chance to represent their educational achievements in an innovative and reflective electronic format that they can maintain throughout their four years in the Global Liberal Studies program and then take with them when they graduate.
Throughout each student’s academic career, a distinct thread will emerge based largely on where she has chosen to study abroad. The senior year thesis requires in-depth exploration of a subject that is related to both international study and to the body of work already completed in the program. Faculty work closely with each student to integrate all the major elements of the senior year, ensuring an educational experience uniquely tailored to the individual student’s needs and interests. Senior electives may include upper-level courses in the College of Arts and Science, including courses that are cross-listed with the Graduate School of Arts and Science.
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